Analysis of Tire Effect on the Simulation of Vehicle Straight Line Motion

In the dynamic simulation of vehicle straight line motion, a vehicle model usually drifts from its intended straight path even in the case of no external input. This is particularly true when a tire model based on experimental data is used. The purpose of this paper is to provide an enhancement of a basic understanding of a tire/vehicle system behavior in the straight line motion and to identify the effect of the tire on that motion. Through the analysis of a two degrees of freedom vehicle model, tire characteristic which causes a lateral drift in the straight line motion is identified. Then the results are confirmed from vehicle test and the simulations with a more complex full-car model.